American Psychiatric Association (APA)

The principal professional organization of United States (U.S.) psychiatrists is the American Psychiatric Association, which somewhat confusingly goes by the same initials (APA) as the American Psychological Association, a professional organization of psychologists. Psychiatrists are medical doctors who, after medical school, have completed residency training in the specialty of psychiatry. Over 35,000 U.S. and international physicians are members of the American Psychiatric Association, which traces its history to 1844, when it was founded as the Association of Medical Superintendents of American Institutions for the Insane. The organization's name was changed in 1892 to the American Medico-Psychological Association; its present name was adopted in 1922.

The provision of excellent mental health care for psychiatrically ill children and adults is the paramount goal of the American Psychiatric Association. The association works to ensure effective, humane treatment for those with mental...